TooLiveBrew

Even if you believe he's a #2 starter, getting a potential, with an emphasis on potential, #2 starter for one of the best sluggers in the game as the centerpiece of any deal is a deal I would quickly pass on, unless the other pieces are intriguing enough to pull the trigger. I think when you include the caveat that the deal would be for less than a season-and-a-half of one of the best sluggers in the game, a #2/#3 type is a very acceptable centerpiece. If the Brewers can find someone to pay more than that at a deal's core, great. Not sure how realistic it is, but is Beckham better suited for 2B or 3B? I for one would like to see the Brewers keep Weeks, and would hesitate to take another 2B, especially with Lawrie coming as well. Although, I suppose Lawrie could probably be a long-term answer at 1B or OF. Beckham's bat is definitely better-suited for 2B, as would almost any player's. I think he could probably handle 2B fine, as I don't recall hearing as many questions about his defense as you hear about Lawrie's. I think Brett will be a corner OF for the big-league Brewers once he gets here, but if he actually improves on defense to the point where he can stick at 2B, I think you just pat yourself on the back for having the good problem of having to decide which top-talent young player to shop in trade talks. Or if Beckham can hit enough, he'll be a nice 3B option & obviously Lawrie's bat at 2B with average defense would be fantastic.

I hear you, cc, but honestly to many casual baseball fans, I'm betting just seeing a graph, or data charts, about baseball would be a bit confusing and/or off-putting.

For example, in reading the comments of Law's "Death, Taxes, and ML Waivers", there's this: Neat factoid: this response comes indirectly in reply to a question from a user named "battlekow" http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

I realize Brewerfan addresses some of this in the FAQ link, but there are so many permutations & special cases when it comes to MLB transactions -- involving options, arbitration, Super-Two status, etc. -- that it seems to me it'd be helpful to have one place where BF members can browse information & also ask questions. I know there have been many detailed discussions of these kinds of things on the forums over the years, but they seem spread out in many different threads. Ideally this thread, or one the BF.net staff compiled, would be stickied atop the MLB forum. - BF Roster Management FAQ- BF Free Agency & Arbitration FAQ- BF Player Movement FAQ- BF Injury FAQ Here are some more useful links: - Cot's Baseball Contracts Transactions Glossary- The Biz of Baseball Glossary- MLBTradeRumors' Glossary- "Death, Taxes, and Major League Waivers"---> by Keith Law (8.3.06), for BaseballAnalysts.com (discussion in comments beneath article, too)- "Understanding Option Years"---> by Mike Axisa of RiverAveBlues (excellent Yankees blog; entry includes excerpt from ESPN chat with Law) And, please, anything else that people can contribute, by all means share it here -- whether it's another website, an email from TH answering a specific question, etc. If it'd be appropriate, I'd ask any mod to edit a useful link or rule into this lead post. I'm sure I've already overlooked some good resources, but this list isn't a bad start.

Honestly I think a pinned thread on options & roster management questions would be very useful in this forum. Don't want to hijack this thread any more than I/we already have, so I'll take a crack at starting one.

They definitely carry over. Braun and Gallardo still have all 3 options. Gomez still has 2. We sent Bush down to the minors in his 5th year in the majors and he still has 2 options. Every time I think I understand options/options years, I'm reminded I don't. I just read through 5 or 6 different breakdowns of them, and still probably don't understand them well, or fully. Question on Braun & Gallardo, though: Since they weren't with the Brewers on OD 2007, wouldn't they only have two option years left, not three? Or is it only considered using an option if the player is sent down from MLB, and not up to MLB?

Nope. He was added to the 40 man in May and hasn't been sent to the minors since, so he still has all three.I thought you don't "use up" an option year, though. If you're not sent down, I thought it didn't carry over. Options aren't like NFL challenge red flags. Options are option years, right?

Honestly, last night's outing aside, I think most GMs can see through the smoke & mirrors of an average ERA to see that Dave Bush just isn't a very good pitcher. Many organizations probably have a guy or two in AAA that could come up & post a K/9 rate of roughly 5 & a BB/9 rate of roughly 4. He's just not special on the mound in any way, especially now after the injury last season stole 2-3mph off his fastball. I guess it only takes one bad move by another GM, though.

The Braves' Bush League antics this past weekend only furthered that theory for me. Where there's smoke, there's fire. Case closed!

I only say this because I'm not sure how much mainstream recognition they have for their live performances, but Robert Randolph & the Family Band rock you every single time they take the stage. Randolph himself is especially a dynamic performer. I went to see them again at Summerfest this year, and they were, of course, sensational. Not sure when they'll be in the area next, so sorry (& sorry if everyone & their mother knows how great they are live). If you appreciate guitar at all, this will be a show for you. I've honestly/embarrassedly even gone to one of his shows with my parents (but my friends went too!)

What's been the story for Max Walla this season? The talk about McClendon made me remember how much gushing was done about Walla's raw power upside on his draft day.

As someone else said, a Jeffress fastball into Hanson's ribs would make him think twice about throwing at Brewer hitters. Before it was just wild speculation, but honestly now it's a little annoying that you keep saying the Braun beaning was intentional. There is literally nothing to back that claim up. Guys get hit, and sometimes they get hurt. Just because it was one of your favorite players doesn't give you a free pass to assume it was on purpose.

the Nationals always seem to ask too much for their stars they way they messed up with Soriano. They have a different GM now, for whatever that's worth. don't know why the White Sox would trade something for Dunn when Dye is at least 70% the player that Dunn is and wouldn't cost prospects. I think it's really easy to overlook just how great a career Adam Dunn has had. His worst season was an .819 OPS in '03, when he missed the last 41 games of the season after spraining his thumb diving for a ball in the outfield. Even if you discount the .948 OPS he posted in his first (partial) big-league season, he's basically OPSed .900 5 times since 2001 (I'm including '08's .898), and is well on his way so far this season. Jermaine Dye has done it twice since 1996, once in 2000 as a 26-yo, and once in '06 in an obvious "career year". Even if Dye outhit any realistic projection (which I'd guess would be close to the roughly .800 OPS he hit in '09), Dunn still projects to be the better player. I understand the idea of not giving up talent to bring in Dye, but do you honestly think Dye would be able to hit at an '09 level after missing more than half of the season? There's also the possibility that Kenny Williams could work out a contract extension with Dunn, and land a roughly .900 OPS bat for the next three or four seasons. I think I read on MLBTR that the Nationals are pretending he's Ryan Howard in trade negotiations. The two are actually very comparable players, so not sure why the Nats shouldn't expect a comparable return (contract differences aside). Both guys are 30, and the main difference btw. the two is that Howard might give you 5-10 more HRs in a season, but Dunn's OBP will be roughly 25 or 30 points higher. Howard is certainly the sexier of the two players, with gaudier RBI totals from playing on far superior offenses, but realistically Dunn is right there with Howard in terms of production.

We'd lose Fielder, Weeks and Hart after the season, and wouldn't have any money to better our team, since we'd be spending so much on Lee, Haren, Wolf, Yo, Braun, etc, so we'd either hope that our deplered rank of prospects would step in, or we'd need to firesale. Basically, the Florida Marlins scenario. Build a decent base, overpay and lose money for one season, and then sell off and start over. Not what I'd like to do, and probably not very realistic It's an interesting take, monty. Honestly, I think it would actually be kind of fun, as long as we were guaranteed the firesale.

This is pretty interesting. If it's true that CHA would give Hudson and Viciedo for Dunn, shouldn't be all that hard to get another piece for Prince.

Imo it will be Strasburg, and it absolutely should be Strasburg.

Case in point on JD still trying to get work. That's sad -- the show used to be really fresh & cool. Really shouldn't be *that* hard to keep good story ideas flowing with all the characters & their environment. HBO usually knocks the ball out of the park on its creative series.

It lost me somewhere after season 3 or 4. To me it already felt like how Schlitz put it: "I feel like the writing is stale and the same themes and bits keep getting replayed from earlier." Is Johnny Drama still trying to get work?

Not everyone is 100% certain like you that Gomez is a waste of time, and like Parra, Gomez needs regular PT if he is to develop.

Those fans all already have strong allegiances, though. Try selling a northern New Jersey-an (?) on not rooting for the most successful franchise in MLB history. I really doubt the Philly & Yankee fans would embrace another team at this point.

Does Dooling shoot well?

He can't play 2B based on the fact that he doesn't cover enough ground to even handle 3B well. With even more ground to cover at 2B, he would be a mess. Please don't tell me you think he can be an avg. or above-avg. 2B based on 179 2/3 innings there in '09.

One reason I like Beckham is that he could replace Weeks at 2B if Rickie winds up moving on. I don't believe Lawrie will be a second baseman, and if my faith in Gamel is rewarded, he'd step in at third with Beckham sliding over to second.

Whoops, thanks for correcting that SoCal

Given that he's been completely overhauling his mechanics, I'd say it's too early to worry about velocity with Arnett.